Thursday, February 27, 2020

Gibanica (Guzvara) - Serbian Cheese Pie



No celebration in Serbia is complete without the Gibanica. From religious holidays to weddings and other celebrations, the Gibanica is a must-have dish on the table.

Customers always ask me what is the difference between Cheese Burek and Gibanica, well, I tell them that we make our own stretched dough for the Burek, where for the Gibanica we use Phyllo Dough.

There is a layered version of the Gibanica, but in this case we are going to make the Guzvara, which means wrinkled. The dough is wrinkled and dipped into the prepared cheese mixture.



INGRIDIENTS:

  • 1 package of phyllo dough #10
  • 1 cup of sour cream or cottage cheese
  • 3 eggs 
  • 1/2 of lb feta cheese
  • 1 tbs salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Pre-heat oven to 360F
2) Cut phyllo dough in half vertically. Grease a 10" pan, layer four pieces, half in the pan, the other half hanging outside of the pan.
3) Mix together eggs, cheeses and salt.
4) Take a piece of phyllo dough, wrinkle it and dip it into cheese mixture. Repeat until pan is filled. Add oil over it.
5) Flip the phyllo and cover the wrinkled pieces, tucking them under. 
6) Put more oil over it and place in the oven. Bake for 20 min or until golden brown.







Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Fast & Easy Pigs in a Blanket



Can you even call it a party if there is no Pigs in a Blanket on the table? Our last recipe with store-bought croissants went over really well, that I have decided to bring you another quick and easy recipe.

INGRIDIENTS: 

  • 1 package of mini sausages 
  • 2 packages of crescents 
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs sesame 
  • Dijon Mustard 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Pre-heat oven to 375F. In a 10" baking ban, place parchment paper.
2) Unroll both containers, cut the crescents in two.
3) Place sausage on the wider end and roll up. Place on baking pan.
4) Whip egg, with brush spread over the crescents, sprinkle sesame on top.
5) Bake for 12-15 mins or until golden brown. 




Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Banana (Tiramisu) Cake


I think everyone knows that my mom is THE CAKE queen in our household, or maybe I should say the greater Chicago area. When I made this cake, I did not expect her to go all crazy over it, but then again they do say that the apple (or int this case, banana)  doesn't fall far from the tree.

I've been dying to make a cake with the famous chocolate candy called Bananice, my absolute favorite. My grandfather would always buy this for me when I was a little kid. One time I threw a tantrum in the supermarket, and he was too embarrassed to put the candy back, so we ended up with a month's supply. May I say that this never happened with my grandmother, who was very firm and did not let a 4-year old boss her around. 

Anyways, I wanted to make something with the Bananice, but I noticed we had way too many actual bananas in the kitchen, so I decided to go that route instead. I looked around the kitchen to see what other ingredients I had laying around and came up with this:




INGRIDIENTS:
  • 3 Bananas 
  • 1 Cup sugar
  • 1 Pint Heavy Cream (500ml)
  • 1 Cup Milk (or Instant Coffee)
  • 1 Pack Lady Fingers 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Mix heavy Cream and bananas together and keep adding sugar.  Put bowl aside.
2) Soak lady fingers in milk or coffee and place into a 8" baking pan with detachable bottom. (don't let them get too soggy)
3) Spread the heavy cream/banana mixture evenly over the lady fingers. Repeat until baking pan is filled all the way to the top.
4) Freeze for 3-4 hours
5) Sprinkle cocoa powder or zest chocolate over the cake and serve. 

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie



OMG, hands down one of the best cookies I ever had, and I am not even gluten intolerant. I literally ate the entire batch by myself. It just crumbles and melts in your mouth. I usually pack these in a little zip-lock bag and they can last up to a week. 

Absolutely no flour was used in this recipe. The main ingredient was the almond butter. It truly is my go-to recipe for quick chocolate chip cookies. I try to make it as much as my diet allots me to. 

INGRIDIENTS:

  • 1 Cup Almond Butter
  • 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (or any other sugar you prefer)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (you can use any chocolate you like) 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. 
2) In a medium bowl, mix in almond butter (including the oil that has gathered on top) and all the other ingredients in until crumbly texture forms.
3) Take one table spoon of dough, two inches apart and place on parchment paper. 
4) Bake for 10-15 minutes. 
5) Take out and let cool for 5 mins.







Sunday, February 9, 2020

Lemon & Shrimp Linguini Pasta



I've recently gotten back on Intermittent Fasting, for those that are not familiar, its a practice  where you don't eat for an entire period of a minimum 16 hours. I am currently doing 22 hours, with means my stomach has tremendously shrunk, so I have been looking for light dishes that will fill me up.

Now, here we have two of my favorite things, which is seafood and pasta. It's exactly what I have been looking for. I know we are in the midst of winter and I really should've posted this recipe in the summer, but I needed a quick fix.


INGRIDIENTS:

  • 2 Lemons
  • 1 Cup Olive Oil
  • 1 lb of frozen shrimp
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 shallots 
  • 1 pack of linguine pasta
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 cup arugula 
  • 1/2 cup parsley 

INSTRIUCTIONS:

1) zest a one lemon Into a 3/4 of a cup olive oil and set aside.
2) Cook pasta according to directions on package.
3) In a pan add olive oil, garlic and shallots, saturate until tender, add shrimp & salt(shrimp is ready as soon as it turns pink; don't overcook)
4) zest a lemon over the mix and add lemon juice.
5) add pasta to shrimp mix and turn off stove.
6} add parsley & arugula 
7) pour the lemon, oil you put aside, over the entire mix




Thursday, February 6, 2020

Greek Quesadilla with Tzatziki Sauce



I've been craving Tzatziki sauce for days now, so I decided to make it the other day. I couldn't eat it by itself because it wouldn't fill me up. I knew, I recently bought low carb tortillas and the exparation date was nearing by, so I figured I'd make use of it.

What would be considered a typical greek ingredient I asked myself? Greek feta of course, followed by Kalmata olives. It doesn't get more greek than that. Maybe add dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, spinach and oregano. Who could say no to that?

INGRIDIENTS:


  • 2 tortillas
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Kalmata Olives
  • 1/4 cup dried tomatoes
  • 1tsp oregano

INSTRUTIONS: 

1) Preheat oven to 380F. Line a pan with parchment paper.
2) Place all ingredients on top of tortilla and cover with another.
3) Place in the oven and bake until cheese starts melting. 10-13mins
4) Serve with Tzatziki Sauce 


Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

  • 2 8oz containers of greek yogurt
  • 2 peeled cucumbers
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • salt and paper to taste
  • 1 tbs fresh, chopped dill
  • 3 cloves of garlic
Place all ingredients in food blender and mix together. 








Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Easy No-Bake Cake



My mom's birthday was a few days ago and I wanted to make a cake for her. I did a little bit of research.. I knew I wanted something that was quick and easy, since my schedule is very tight, and I am sure many of you working ladies can relate. This cake can be made many different ways with either fruits, chocolate, (Oreo) cookies, you name it. Great for those of you who like creamy cakes. Five minutes preparation time and about three hours in the freezer. 





INGRIDIENTS:

  • 2 1/2 cups of dry heavy cream (500 mg) BUY HERE!
  • 17 oz. Mineral Water 
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream 
  • 1 Cup ground cookies (Plazma in Specialty stores, or Graham Cracker)
  • 1 Cup Frozen Fruit or Oreo Cookies or Chocolate Chunks
  • 1 Cup Nutella or Eurokrem

INSTRUCTIONS: 
1) Mix dry heavy cream and mineral water, add sour cream.
2) Divide mixture in three equal parts
3) Add ground cookies to one mixture, Nutella into the other and fruit in the last one. 
4) Take the cookie mixture and place it into a 10" pan, followed by the fruit mixture and then the Nutella mix on top. Freeze for three hours.


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